The Stop Button

It’s shocking how much better Climate of Fear reads when it’s not about MacReady and Childs (from the movie).

Arcudi continues—for the majority of the issue—his version of The Thing, only in a warm climate with a female scientist as the protagonist. It’s mostly a talking heads book, with the tensions rising among the people as they get more and more scared.

Somerville is still a bad artist, so the book must succeed because of Arcudi’s scripting. He twists the tension tighter and tighter and the explosion, cinematic and bloody, works great.

Even his immediate follow-up is good. But then MacReady comes back into it. Or, actually, doesn’t, because Somerville doesn’t know how to establish the absence of someone in his composition.

Once the confusing moments are aside, the issue has a big chase and then has a big cliffhanger.

Unfortunately, Somerville’s art ruins the cliffhanger’s effectiveness.

CREDITS

Writer, John Arcudi; penciller, Jim Somerville; inker, Robert Jones; colorist, Matt Webb; letterer, Richard Starkings; editor, Randy Stradley; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.